{"id":7418,"date":"2025-06-29T10:15:03","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T00:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dinnertimesomewhere.com\/?p=7418"},"modified":"2025-06-29T10:18:19","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T00:18:19","slug":"crispy-pork-belly-bao-buns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dinnertimesomewhere.com\/index.php\/dinner\/pork-dinner\/crispy-pork-belly-bao-buns\/","title":{"rendered":"Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This classic street food dish comes in so many different forms across Asia and is a massive bite of flavor wherever you get it! Our Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns take some classic Chinese ingredients and techniques to make the most delicious bite of food. What I love about this recipe is how versatile it is. You can use all kinds of different fillings and sauces to complete the dish to your liking and flavor profiles. They\u2019re a hugely popular dish in restaurants these days. However, with this easy recipe there\u2019s no need to head out anymore to enjoy amazing Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns!

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Jump to Recipe<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The key to this recipe is making beautifully crispy Pork Belly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s no surprise that the star of the dish is Pork Belly. There are lots of ways you can prepare Pork Belly to get that famous crispy skin. In this recipe we use a few techniques to dry out the skin to ensure ridiculously crispy skin. We\u2019ve made a load of Pork over the years and can safely assure you this technique is guaranteed to produce beautifully crispy Pork Skin that will be perfect in your Bao Buns

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first step in preparing the Pork Belly for optimal crispiness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you do anything else, bring a big pot of water to the boil and then carefully drop in your Pork Belly. Boil it for 2 minutes and then rinse it immediately under cold water. This step just helps to break up all the fibers in the Pork skin and get things moving for the remaining steps in the process

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, make some cuts into the Pork skin. You can either just make a load of pricks with a heavy, sharp knife (being careful as you do so!), or follow the classic approach of making a series of diagonal cuts. Either way, this step is important to allow the fat that sits under the skin to render while it gets cooked

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Guaranteed
In this recipe we show you how to make amazingly crispy Pork Belly, guaranteed!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Now we move onto the curing process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The curing step is \u2018technically\u2019 an optional step in the process, as it won\u2019t impact on the crispiness of the skin or anything like that. However, curing the Pork with some beautiful flavors is a sure-fire way to get this dish tasting its best. To do so, grind up a load of Black Peppercorns, Szechuan Peppercorns and add them to a large tray. Add a generous amount of Chinese Five Spice and then an equal amount of Salt as there is every other ingredient

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pork then goes into the spice mixture and coated well. Ensure the entire Pork is basically smothered with the Salt and Pepper cure. Place it in the refrigerator for about 6 hours to allow those flavors to really infiltrate into the Pork. After 6 hours, wash off the spices with cold water and then pat the Pork dry

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drying out the Pork Skin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The second step is getting that Pork skin as dry as possible. Removing moisture from skin is the best way to ensure a crispy result. I\u2019ve found the best way to do this is to simply leave the Pork uncovered in the refrigerator overnight, and up to 2 days. The dry air of the refrigerator dries out the Pork exceptionally well

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All you now need to do is cook the Pork, it\u2019ll take 1 hour<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The final step is to cook the Pork, which is a simple process of roasting it in the oven. I like to crank the heat to around 430F for the first 10 minutes to really get the skin cooking and crisping up. Then, drop the heat to 360F and let the Pork Belly cook for another 50 minutes

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point the Pork will be cooked, but you\u2019ll notice the skin isn\u2019t crispy! That\u2019s ok, as we\u2019ve got one final trick up our sleeves. Switch your oven setting over to the Broiler and crank it to its highest setting. The excessive top-down heat from the broiler will almost immediately begin to crisp up the skin

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After about 10 minutes the Pork Belly will be done. I recommend you keep a close eye on it and take the Pork out once all the skin is beautifully bubbly and crackly, but before it begins to burn. Because we\u2019re using the broiler you can even keep the door open, it won\u2019t impact the direct heat hitting the skin

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Crispy
We recommend serving your Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns family style so people can assemble their own individual buns<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

While the Pork is roasting you can prepare the filling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For our Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns, we\u2019re using a classic combination of thinly sliced Scallions and some Green Apple. The Scallions are great as they add a beautiful crispy freshness to the buns. Green Apple offers that beautiful tartness that contrasts perfectly with the fattiness from the Pork

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try to cut your Apple into a small dice. We don\u2019t want really large chunks or anything like that, as Bao Buns aren\u2019t all that big. You want to be easily able to fill the buns with the filling while allowing ample room for the hero of the dish \u2013 the Pork Belly \u2013 to fit

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recommend serving the Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns with two types of sauces<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Offering contrasting sauces adds such a variety of flavor to this dish. If you can, try serving up a Spicy Chili Sauce such as Sambal as one offering, and a sweet sauce like Hoisin Sauce as the other. Having a mix of sauces keeps each Bao Bun a little unique and fresh and will just make people want to go back for more!

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can try using other sauces too. A classic pairing with Pork is Apple, so if you like why not try our Green Apple Sauce recipe<\/a> and swap that out for the diced Apples

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Crispy
Amazing Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns work great with Chili Sauce or Hoisin Sauce (or both!)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Making your own Bao Buns (or not)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, the hero of this dish is the Pork Belly and getting that perfectly crispy and tender is a challenge in itself. Making your own Bao Buns from scratch is a load of work, and honestly, in our opinion, not worth it. Just get your hands on some good quality frozen Bao Buns and they\u2019ll do the trick! Add the frozen buns to a large plate and spritz them all with a few drops of water. Cover with cling film and microwave for 90 seconds and they\u2019re done

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To serve, I recommend adding each ingredient separately on their own serving plates and dish up everything family style. That includes the Pork, which I recommend cutting into slices and serving as the centerpiece of this wonderful dish

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n